Expanding point for bearing piles.



y No. 795,660.

PATBNTED JULY 25, 1905. II. R. STANFORD. BXPAIIDING POINT IOR BEARING PILES.

APPLICATION FILED MAB.. 3, 1905.

, attozntg UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.'

HOMER REED STANFORD, OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY.

EXPANDING POINT FOR BEARING PILES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 1905.

Application iiled March 3, 1905. Serial No. 248,340.

' cation.

My invention relates to piles; and it consists more particularly in a point adapted for 1 use with piles having a central bore, such as concrete piles or tubular metal piles.

The object of my invention is to increase the bearing power oi' such piles, and Iaccomplish this object by providing the point with a plurality of pivoted wings which lie normally within the frame of the point, so that the pile can be driven to the desired depth without any resistance being offered by the said wings, and by providing means operable through the bore of the pile to then swing said wings outwardly to a horizontal position, whereby, in effect, a solid bearing-plate of greatly-increased area is provided for the pile to rest upon, and consequently the bearing power of the pile is greatly increased.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will appear in the following detailed description, taken in connection With the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a half side elevation and a half central vertical section of a pile provided with my improved point; and Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross-section of the same, taken on the line C D of Fig. 1.

ln the views, 1 represents the lower end of a tube which constitutes the inclosing shell of a concrete pile, and 2 represents the small tube forming the axial bore of the pile.

My improved point consists of a casting 3, which may be secured to the lower end of the tube 1 by any suitable means, such as the split bolts 4, said casting being recessed on all four sides, as shown at 5. Within each of these recesses is pivoted, by means of a pin or bolt 6, a wing 7, having a broad arm 8, normally projectingdownwardly and lying entirely within the recess 5, and a short narrow rearwardly-projecting arm 9, extending nearly to the axis of the pile.

Vithin the hollow center of the casting 3 and above the inner ends of the arms 9 is placed a dog 10, which normally stands immediately beneath the lower end of the tube 2 and which is adapted to be forced downwardly by a rod ll passed through the tube 2. The dog may be secured to this rod, but t preferably is not connected thereto, so that the rod 11 may be removed after the pile has been putin place. The dog 10 isprismatic in shape and is provided in its upper end with a recess for the rod l1. The arms 9 are beveled on their inner ends where they contact with the dog 10, so as to offer a suitable surface for the sides of the dog to act upon.

-The lower end of the casting 3 may be cored out, as shown at 12, whereby a plug of the material through which the pile is being driven will form therein and act as a wedge.

When a pile provided with my improved point is to be driven, the dog l0 is held in its highest position by the wings 7, which are then folded in, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1. When the pile has been driven to the desired position, or nearly thereto,the rod 11 is driven down, which causes the dog 10 to swing the broad arms 8 of the wings outwardly and upwardly until they reach the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and in full lines on the left-hand side of Fig. 2. The wings may be locked in this position by the dog 10, which then, as shown, comes to a seat on the lower end of the casting 3 and abuts with the straight ends 13 of its sides against the beveled ends of the arms 9 above mentioned. Ii', however, the dog 10 is attached to the rod 11, it can be removed with said rod, and then if it is ever 'desired to withdraw the pile the wings will automatically close or fold up as the pile 1s drawn. This ofcourse can only be done when the dog is smaller in diameter than the bore of the pile. The recess of the casting may also be deep enough so that the dog is driven or falls below the ends of the arms 9, and consequently does not loch the wings, in which case the pile can be withdrawn without removing the dog. Where the soil is too solid to enable the arms to be raised in the manner just described, the rod 11 is first actuated before the pile has quite reached its desired position and the pile is simultaneously driven to its final position, so that the resistance of the soil as soon as the arms 8 are moved outside of'the recesses in the casting assists the dog 10 in raising the arms to their horizontal position.

The term casting as used in the foregoing speciiication and in the annexed claims is not intended to be a limitation to the employment of a point constructed of cast-iron, since, obviously, other metals, either cast or forged, might be employed.

Obviously various modifications in the details of construction may be made without departing from my invention as expressed in the following claims.

What I claim is l. A point for hollow piles, comprising a recessed casting, a plurality of wings pivotally suspended within said casting and means movable axially of the casting to swing said wings outwardly to form an extended bearingplate for the pile-point'.

2. The combination with a hollow pile, of a point therefor provided with a plurality of Wings, which lie normally wholly withinthe peripheral area of the pile and point,and means within said pointy and operable through the bore of the pile,.to project said wings radially outward so as to form a supporting-plate for the pile. y

3. A point for hollow piles, comprising a hollow, recessed casting, a plurality of wings pivoted within said casting to swing radially thereof, the shorter arms of said wings lying normally near the axial line of the casting, a dog mounted within said rcasting for axial movement thereof and adapted to coact with said shorter arms to swing said wings radially outward to an open, expanded position.

4. The combination with a hollow pile of a point therefor, comprising a hollow recessed casting, a plurality of wings pivoted within said casting to swing radially thereofl and normally lying wholly within the peripheral area of the pile and point, the inner shorter arms of said wings lying adjacent to the axis of the casting, a dog mounted therein and adapted to be forced downward by pressure applied through the pile to cooperate with the said shorter arms and swing the said wings radially outward to form a supporting-plate for the pile. Y

5. The combination with a hollow pile of a point therefor, comprising a hollow, recessed casting, a plurality of wings pivoted within said casting to swing radially thereof, and normally lying wholly within the recesses of said casting, means operable through the bore of the pile to swing said wings so that they project beyond the peripheral area of the casting, the further driving of the pile to its final position causing the wings to assume a substantially horizontal position, whereby a bearing-plate of increased area is provided for the support of the pile.

In testimony whereof Iliave afixed my signature in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HOMER REED STANFORD. Witnesses:

HOWARD A. CooMBs, J. B. ROMAN. 

